In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council, the Ministry of Education (MoE) held a special ceremony for its scholarships students who graduated. Held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and under the theme "Competing Together Globally", the ceremony was attended by His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education; His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Ebrahim Almualla, MoE's Undersecretary for Academic Affairs; and leaders from the ministry, as well as leaders from other government and private entities.
In his opening speech, His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi congratulated the graduates and advised them to continue lifelong learning, particularly in light of the fast-paced technological advancements and the rapidly changing world. He also noted that they need to be well-prepared for the opportunities and challenges that the future may hold for them.
His Excellency Dr. Al Falasi said: “Scholarships offer students valuable opportunities to expand their horizons and enhance their personal and academic experiences. Scholarships recipients become representatives of their country, embarking on a journey to develop their leadership abilities and refine their skills. When they return to their home country, they are equipped to apply what they have learned and make significant contributions to its progress and development."
His Excellency Dr. Al Falasi stressed the Ministry's commitment to improving the scholarships program to meet present and future needs. He mentioned that in the program priorities sending students to enrol in top international universities. His Excellency also emphasized the importance of scholarships students being open-minded, possessing the necessary national, personal, leadership, and academic qualities for success and excellence.
During the celebration, 360 students who graduated from the scholarship program were honored; 69% of them were bachelor's degree graduates; and 31% were postgraduate degree graduates.
The MoE has identified the majors and countries of the scholarships program for 2023. The majors cover various fields including engineering and technology; medicine and life sciences; natural sciences; social and administrative sciences and law; humanities; and arts – to be studied in more than 25 countries around the world. The Ministry is dedicated to offering scholarships in a wider range of countries and academic disciplines. It seeks to increase the number of postgraduate scholarship recipients and prioritise students pursuing highly ranked majors globally, ranked from 1 to 50.
The scholarships program is one of the oldest scholarships programmes in the country. It was launched in 1972 under the patronage of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who has always believed that investing in education is the key to achieving prosperity. At that time, 23 scholarships students were sent to different countries with the purpose of acquiring knowledge and playing a crucial role in establishing the foundation for the Union's progress.
More than 900 Emirati students are now enrolled in the scholarship program. The scholarship recipients are pursuing several academic degrees (bachelor's, master's, doctorate, and associate's) at the top-ranked universities in the world. Students are selected to join the program based on a process that takes several factors into account, including academic results, university classification, and the need for the major to be studied, among others. This is to ensure that scholarships recipients contribute to the nation's comprehensive and sustainable development and to provide the labor market with national competencies that possess skills in various disciplines.